Roommates and Adoption
by goldenspecter
Summary: It started with Tucker asking Dan and Clockwork to come over to his house for dinner. Tucker didn't plan on gaining two siblings(he's debating if he's older, it's a toss up as of now). Angelica and Maurice didn't plan on adopting two ghosts(again, they're debating if they're adults or children. Once again it's a toss up.) Not expected but definitely not unwelcomed.
1. I The Invitation and Dinner

**I wrote this fic during 2017 CampNano and decided now was as good as time as any to post this fic.**

 **Full Summary: It started with Tucker asking Dan and Clockwork to come over to his parents house for dinner. Tucker didn't plan on gaining two siblings(he's debating if he's the older or younger sibling, it's a toss up as of now), Angelica and Maurice didn't plan on adopting two ghosts(again, they're debating if they're adults or children. Once again it's a toss up.) Not expected but definitely not unwelcomed.**

 **Expect brotherly fluff and angst in this fic.**

* * *

 _I. The Invitation and Dinner_

* * *

It's Saturday morning.

There were no ghosts roaming the streets at three in the morning, no Vlad popping up unexpectedly with a scheme to get with Danny's mom(Tucker thinks that the dude should chill, go on eHarmony, ChristianMingle, Tinder, _somewhere_ and find a nice girlfriend. Or boyfriend. But then again what does _he_ know about dating?), no sight of the Fenton RV crashing through the streets looking for Phantom. A rare occurrence and Tucker knew exactly how he was going to take advantage of such a peaceful Saturday morning: sleep in. Tucker woke up at around noon, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he groggily trailed down the stairs. He greeted his father and mother with a limp wave, then sluggishly trailed his way into the kitchen to eat his cereal in a peaceful silence. After putting his dishes in the sink, he jogged back upstairs to change his clothes. Half an hour later, he reemerged downstairs once again no longer wearing his PDA themed pajamas but instead his signature red beanie, yellow shirt and green shorts.

Sometime later, he casually strolls to FentonWorks', and was immediately pulled into a bone crushing hug by Jack Fenton the moment he stepped in and it took Maddie and Jazz intervening to make Jack let loosen his enthusiastic vice like grip on the technogeek. Danny simply stood next to the refrigerator, calmly sipping apple juice as he watched.

' _You asshat.'_ Tucker thinks as he glared at him, promptly flipping Danny off when he barked out in laughter. Thankfully Jack was still hugging him and Maddie and Jazz had focused their attention elsewhere.

Finally, Jack releases Tucker and he's grateful he can actually _breathe_ again. Don't get him wrong, he loves Jack's hugs-Tucker could argue that Jack's hugs were better than his dad's. Keyword(s): could argue- but he doesn't like how bone crushing they were. He was like Bewear from _Pokemon Sun & Moon_, powerful, friendly, but completely unaware of his own strength. Minutes later, Maddie and Jack had left to search the streets for ghosts while Jazz had left to go to the library to do some more paranormal research. Tucker swore that she's becoming obsessed.

Which meant the two teens were now alone.

"Danny, I need your Specter Speeder." Tucker blurted out.

In response, Danny shrugged his shoulders and headed downstairs into his parents lab. Tucker glanced at the entryway to the lab in confusion as to why Danny didn't bother asking why he needed it. Tucker assumed that Danny thought he would responsible enough to use the Specter Speeder without damaging it but instead chalked it up to the fact that Danny stopped caring long ago and honestly did not give a damn at this point, simply going with the flow of whatever was going on. ' _Perhaps I shouldn't be questioning as to why he didn't ask me. Better take small victories when I get them.'_ He thought as he followed after Danny, skipping down the steps into the lab.

Danny was resting against the Specter Speeder, his eyes suddenly narrowing when he saw Tucker, "What took you so long?" He asked.

"Brain fart." answered Tucker.

Again, he shrugged his shoulders before climbing inside the Specter Speeder and putting his seat belt on. "I'm riding shotgun." demanded Danny.

Well who was Tucker to deny his friend what he wanted? Shrugging his shoulders, Tucker hopped inside and also put his seat belt on. He squirmed around for a couple of seconds attempting to get used to being in the driver's seat before finally feeling comfortable enough to rest his hands on the wheel. Flipping some of the control in their proper positions, the Speeder started to rev up as it powered on and Tucker leaned back in satisfaction when he felt the soothing vibrations roll down his back. Danny pulled the driving stick and put it in reverse and the two boys were thrusted into the Ghost Zone.

* * *

The drive through the Ghost Zone was fairly uneventful, save for Danny rudely trying to change the music Tucker was jamming to("That is the tenth time I heard 'Weak,' I swear to god if I hear AJR one more time Tucker-" "Drivers pick the music, shotgun shuts his pie hole.") but mostly uneventful. When they reached Clockwork's tower, Tucker parked the Specter Speeder several feet away from the door. Tucker hopped out, peering inside, staring expectantly at Danny.

"You getting out Danny?"

Danny's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Tucker, "I called shotgun, not dealing with whatever you have to deal with." He responded cooly, laying down on his back and grabbing his phone from his jean pocket. "I'm sitting this one out."

"Alright whatever." Tucker waved, confidently strolling into the citadel, unfazed yet smiling fondly when he saw Dan hanging over the sofa and Clockwork comfortably sprawled out on the floor chewing on zebra popcorn while they were working on filling out several forms.

"Hello Tucker." "Hey Foley."

Tucker didn't bother waving at the duo, hopping over the sofa and landing in a square next to Dan. "We're grocery buddies Dan. I think that warrants us being beyond the last name thing." Tucker stated, kicking his shoes off and resting his feet on the sofa. "So I see you're enjoying the popcorn Clockwork."

"They aren't going to respond." Dan answered, "They have those earphones you gave them plugged in their ears and I'm not really sure what exactly they're listening to. But yes, Clocky does indeed enjoy the popcorn. Almost cut my hand off with the scythe when I tried to grab a few kernels. I made it a rule that they can't have that scythe in the kitchen."

"You're _establishing_ rules?" Tucker reeled back, hands resting on his chest, faking a shocked gasp. "Normally, you're the one breaking them."

Dan didn't bother leveling a glare at the techno-geek, as it would be practically ineffective to do so. "Shut up. But if you need me to get their attention, then I know the perfect way to do that." He leered, eyes narrowed as a dangerous smirk came about as he was forming a blast and Tucker knew that Dan was up to no good.

"No, because I know exactly what's going to happen the moment you hit them with that blast." Tucker warned in his no nonsense voice. "Clockwork's gonna get pissed and then you are going to end up without a hand."

"But it'll be pretty-"

"Shut it. I've heard enough hand puns from Danny. I don't need them from you." said Tucker, slithering off the sofa, crawling over to Clockwork and laid his head against their back.

Clockwork shifted around uncomfortably due to the sudden weight on their back. Growling in experseration, Clockwork pulled a earbud out of their ears, "Tucker get off me. _Now._ "

With a laugh Tucker sat up, grinning at the irritated frown the Time Master threw his way. "So did you enjoy the popcorn? Dan said you did from the way you tried to cut his hand off." He peered over, the partially filled out forms catching his attention. "So what are you working on?"

"Work." They answered tersely. "And the only reason Dan almost had his hand chopped off was because he had tried to get some after I explicitly told him not to. I was already moody and he wasn't helping."

"Since when am I ever a help?"

"Groceries." Tucker answered definitively. "Definitely groceries."

"Nice to know I'm only useful with groceries."

Tucker laughed, "Does wittle Dan feel sad?" Seeing Clockwork chuckle and Dan pout slightly made Tucker laugh louder. "But I need to ask you two something."

"What is it?" "Ask away."

"Come to my parents house for dinner." Tucker said. "You two could use a nice change of scenery, Clockwork can get a break from their work and Dan just needs...he just needs to be out and about."

"Sounds nice and all," began Clockwork.

"But we're ghosts and they're humans." Dan finished abruptly. "Just by that alone, it's not going to end well for anyone involved."

Tucker rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissing their claims. "I'm a human and I'm still here so what does that have to say? Besides, you go out every week and shop with me for food. Nothing went wrong there am I right?"

"People didn't know that we were ghosts."

"Well my parents know." Tucker stated, not paying attention to Dan and Clockwork's shocked faces.. "Told them a bit about you two and they're pretty excited to meet the 'roomates in the clock tower.'"

"We aren't roommates." The two grounded out in unison.

"You're roomates." Tucker deadpanned.

"Nah."

"No we arent."

How oblivious were these two? "You're living in the same tower, you are pretty content with having the other person, er-ghost around. That's roommate territory, you dolts." Tucker grounded out. "Hell you don't even pay taxes or bills! That's luxury roommate territory."

"Noo," Dan protested, "We're peacefully trying to coexist mates. Not roommates."

Tucker took a deep breath, causally wondering if all of his friends were idiots. "I am- roommates buy food together. I literally go with you two to the store every week to help you get food. Roommates create rules. You're roommates you idiots."

Sitting up and scooting away from Tucker, Clockwork shifted their form, their heavy frown seemed out of proportion for their childish stature. "I dont think its wise for you to insult the people you're trying invite to dinner."

"When have I ever worried about what's wise? The answer is never."

Clockwork mumbled under their breath, "I am not surprised at that." Yelping when they were suddenly picked up by Tucker and swung around in the air. "Tucker put me 'own!"

Pretending to ignore Clockwork, Tucker continued spinning them around with a manic grin, "I couldn't hear you Clockwork! Did you say you'll join me for dinner at my parent's?" He said loudly, grinning expectantly at the small Time Master and grinned even harder when they stomped their tiny foot in anger, shouting no. "Perhaps I could be convinced if you'll say yes!"

"Fine I'll go! Just put me down."

"Victory!" cheered Tucker, placing Clockwork under one of his arms and pumping his free fist in the air.

Dan smirked at the two, "Guess this means I don't have to go."

"No it doesn't." "If I have to go Dan, then so do you."

The 'older' Phantom folded his arms defiantly, "And if I don't? What you going to do?"

Clockwork gave him that 'Don't Play With Me You Twat' glare, "I'll cut off Crunchyroll."

"Nice try, but I can use VRV."

"I'll cut that off too, along with every anime and cartoon streaming website possible. No more Boku no Hero Academia, no One Punch Man, no Kill la Kill, no more anime." Clockwork threatened, smirking smugly when Dan stepped back, most likely imagining the horrifying consequences of them doing so.

"Heathen. You absolute heathen." Dan swore, shaking a finger.

"So I'll expect you two to show up around five thirty? Six at the latest?" Tucker asked, taking the two ghosts' silence as a confirmation. He swaggered his way to the door, dumping Clockwork in Dan's arms, shouting "See you later Lumiere and Cogsworth!" before shutting the door behind him.

Tucker happily skipped back to the Specter Speeder, opening up the door and hopping in, raising his eyebrows suggestively when Danny sat up and eyed him warily. Danny threw himself against the leather seating of the Speeder, that warily look remaining until he couldn't take Tucker hilariously suggestive eyebrow wiggling anymore.

"Tucker what chaos have you wrought?" He asked finally and from the way Tucker grinned, Danny wasn't too sure if he wanted to know now and it it was at all possible for him to Control Z that decision.

His best friend smirked weirdly, leaning back in the seat as well. "I asked Clockwork and Dan to come to my parent's for dinner tonight." Tucker answered finally and before Danny could even open his mouth to form a response, he then tacked on "I got a yes from _both_ of them."

"Tell me the goods, spill me the juicy secrets Tuck. How'd ya do it?" Danny reached out to flip several of the controls back to their original positions and pulled the gear stick in the drive mode and Tucker propelled the vehicle forward.

"I caught Clockwork in their child form and spun them around the room until they said yes," Tucker began, pointedly ignoring Danny's shocked 'You dirty son of a gun', "Clockwork threatened to take away Crunchyroll and any site Dan can use to view anime. Needless to say, Dan crumbled very quickly."

The halfa laughed, "You can take the weeb out of anime but you can't take the anime out of the weeb." He declared, pointing a finger in the air for emphasis, doubling over, wrapping his arms around his stomach from all the laughter. "Wait, wait did you bring up the roommate thing?"

"It's never a proper visit unless I do." Tucker retorted, waving a hand in the air to accentuate his point. "Of course I did!"

"You have got to tell me what they said."

"They were as Dan stated, 'trying to co-exist peacefully mates.'" said Tucker, who started to laugh raucously as Danny continued to laugh even harder. "Wait till Sam hears this."

"Those idiots, when are they going to realize that they're roommates and oh god, I can't wait to hear what she says." agreed Danny, who soon ended up on the floor of the Specter Speeder from laughing too hard from hearing what Tucker had told him as the two rode home.

* * *

At around five twenty, Maurice and Angela had the pleasure of being surprised of a portal being opened in their kitchen and seeing the two ghosts their son had mentioned step out. The two had tried their best to appear calm and collected but the older Foleys could see that the two were just as nervous as they were. Luckily Tucker had emerged from the stairway, dissipating any possible chance for an awkward silence.

"You came!" Tucker exclaimed, launching himself at the two, drawing the two into a tight hug. Tucker let them go, sidestepping to the right of the taller one with flaming hair, waving his arms to gesture him. "Mom, Dad, this is Dan. He's pretty chill and he's like a huge cat."

Dan waved awkwardly, "Sup."

Maurice stepped forward, grabbing Dan's hand and shaking it with tight, firm grip. "Nice to finally meet you Dan. I've heard a lot about you!" he said, relinquishing his grip of Dan's hand and stepping back next to Angela. Seeing Dan frown in confusion, Maurice added on, "Good things son, only good things."

He got an quiet, unconvinced nod from Dan. Maurice assumes that he haven't heard a lot of positive things in his life-afterlife or he put himself down too often for his liking.

Angela forgoes the typical handshake and brings Dan in a tight, warm hug, "I'm so glad to meet another one of Tucker's friends." She said, standing on her tippy toes to give him a tender kiss on the cheek.

"Mom, you can't give Dan _all_ of the attention," Tucker joked, sliding over to his other friend who was just as, if not more awkward than Dan. "Guys, this is Clockwork."

Angela diverted her attention towards Clockwork, "It's so nice to meet two wonderful young me-"

"I'm not a man," Clockwork protested mingling with Dan and Tucker's peeved "They aren't a boy."

Angela nodded, "My bad." She apologized, "But still it's nice to meet such wonderful friends of Tucker's."

Dan and Clockwork both shifted around, nodding at the unexpected praise.

Angela had then turned around towards the freezer and pulled out a bag of french fries along with several bags of chicken tenders. "I know that you two were invited for dinner, Tucker had told me six." Her son withered under her sharp glare as she ripped open the bag of french fries and dumped them on a oven tray. "I didn't expect you two to show up so early, I was going to get some groceries to cook something but then time passed and there wasn't enough time to cook anything and have it ready before you two got here. So I hope you two are okay with waiting for french fries and burgers."

"It's fine Mrs. Foley!" Dan asserted, furiously waving his hands in front of his chest. "Clockwork and I are okay with whatever you got, right Clockwork?"

Clockwork flinched hearing their name and was brought out whatever self induced daze they were in. "Yea, it's totally fine. I'm sure dinner's still gonna be great!"

"Now that we dealt with what we're having for dinner, why don't we get to know you two!" Maurice announced loudly, clapping his hands. "I'm sure we both heard a lot of things about each other, but I would like to know more about Tucker's amazing friends!"

Dan and Clockwork froze with tight smiles, turning around to point at theirself and the other. "Get to know... _us?"_ They squeaked out in unison, not noticing Tucker leaning against the counter snickering, ' _They're acting like protagonists in an shonen anime.'_ Tucker thought to himself.

To which Angela and Maurice both replied, "Yes!"

* * *

Clockwork is not a social ghost. They don't do social gatherings, they don't do outings, and they definitely don't do dinners. That's not their thing (Others would argue they were conditioned by years of isolation.) and they were fine with that. Yet they had been dragged out to have dinner with a fourteen year old and his parents, and it seemed to be going terribly. Perhaps, that was their anxiety speaking. Drawing their knees closer to their chest, Clockwork sunk further in the couch. They quickly glanced over to Dan, who seemed to be just as anxious and nerve wracked as them. They were glad that they weren't alone in this bubble of anxiety but Clockwork also felt slightly guilty being happy that Dan was having a hard time conversing with the parents of his dead but not dead, former and current best friend. It wasn't _okay_ being happy that someone else was miserable, that was a shitty thing to do and they were a shitty person for feeling like that.

"-work?"

Looking up, they saw Maurice's lips open to speak but couldn't hear anything. Shit, it was happening again. Shaking their head, Clockwork rubbed their temples, "I'm sorry, I seemed to have zoned out. Can you repeat that?"

' _Come on Clockwork, you idiot you can't be freezing up like this.'_

Maurice dismissed their apology as if nothing had happened, "I was saying, Tucker had told me that you're a Master of Time? What's it like?"

"Stressful." They bit out, resting their head on top of their knees, "Exhausting, but I suppose it's similar to working in the human world."

"Dude doesn't know when to take a break, I'll tell you." said Dan suddenly and a sudden burst of anger shot up in Clockwork. They never liked anyone openly talking about them not taking care of theirself. Sure, they didn't eat properly, didn't have a proper sleeping schedule but it was fine and their habits had work. Granted, Clockwork was always exhausted, looked like Yagi Toshinori from My Hero Academia but they were still existing and that's all that mattered.

"Well that's just a mark of how hard they work." Angela mused aloud, crossing her legs together. "I mean, honestly, watching over time itself has got to be complicated and I have to thank you for all the hard work you do to make sure it's stable so that we can live life the way we do."

Clockwork quirked an eyebrow up. Someone was thanking them? Normally, they hear people shouting at them for screwing up the timeline, for not saving lives, that they were a murder. To hear someone thanking them was not only welcome but also refreshing. "Thanks." They mumbled, subconsciously summoning their scythe and ran their hands across the curve of the blade. "It's nice to hear that."

They felt something tugging on them. Turning around, they see Tucker pulling on their scythe-when did they pull it out? How long had it been out and someone was just now telling them? Damn it, now they looked like an idiot; they can hear the taunts of how they'll never fit in ringing in their ears. Clockwork had tried to will away their scythe but it had remained seated comfortably in their hands, and they actually _feel_ the heaviness of their scythe.

It felt...heavier than normal.

Clockwork tried again, and again, and again but it wouldn't go away. Something akin to panic fills them up to the brim and then it drips out like a faucet when they feel Dan rest a hand on their shoulder, take the scythe out of their hands and rest it on the table behind them. They'll never understand how Dan made things so easy for them, and they secretly swear up and down that it's a secret power that Dan has. The Foleys are still staring at them. Shit.

"Sorry about that." They expect to hear that their apologies are worthless.

Maurice and Angela merely smiled and waved it off. "It's fine dear, it was just an accident."

Tucker leaned over in his chair, "Have I ever told you two about the time Dan, Clockwork and I took over a laser tag place? While only being just first time players?" Tucker asked, voice booming with enthusiasm and pride. They loved that day, and they viewed it on nights when everything seemed so bleak, when their anxiety was merciless and unrelenting.

The attention falls off of Clockwork as Maurice and Angelica looked over at Tucker in interest. "Really? How were you able to do that?"

"Okay, so it starts when we registered to join a party…" began Tucker, who wildly moved his arms and legs in such lively, ebullient animations. Tucker is a godsend, Clockwork declares. Danny and Sam were lucky to have such a friend like him and Clockwork killed to have a friend like that when they were younger{They might have had something like that? But it was shrouded in flashes of faded, 'oblivated' memories and they could never get anything concrete.)

Tucker's amazing. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

The oven dings loudly and Angela gets up to get the food. Soon, they're feasting on burgers and fries and everything seems to be calmer, less tense than before. Clockwork's grateful for it. Dinner ends and then the five of them simply...talked. Less nerve-wracking than before and the Time Master feels hope bloom inside of them. That maybe tonight wasn't as bad as they thought it was, and they began to speak more freely, playfully arguing with Angela and giving advice to Maurice on his homemade garden.

All of a sudden, it's late and Dan and Clockwork realized that they had to leave because surely the Foleys must be exhausted from hosting the two and that they were holding up the small family from their much needed sleep. The two ghosts were met with reluctant farewells as Dan grabbed Clockwork's scythe and opened a portal.

The moment they got back to the citadel, Clockwork transformed into their child form, kicked their boots off and floated to their room and sunk into the comfy softness of their bed. Dan followed shortly afterwards, curling around Clockwork and the small Time Master buried himself in the curve of Dan's chest; Dan draped a blanket over both them, laid his head down and both ghosts fell into a restless sleep.


	2. II Breakfast

II. Breakfast

* * *

"Mom and Dad can't wait to have you two over for dinner again." Tucker said when he walked into the tower. "Honestly, they can't stop talking about you two. It's insane guys."

"No." "Absolutely not."

Tucker hopped over the sofa and kicked his shoes off. "They _loved_ having you two there!"

"I'm not sure if I can handle talking to my dead but not dead best friend's parents again so soon." Dan said quietly. "It was fun sure, but I couldn't handle talking to them knowing that I had killed my best friend."

The techno-geek is silent before reaching out to rest his hand on Dan's shoulder. "I know that your Tucker doesn't blame you for what happened." He said seriously, tightening his grip when Dan looked away. "You shouldn't blame yourself for that."

"You keep saying that but you weren't there when it happened." Dan is quiet once again, knowing that if he started talking about that day then he wouldn't stop. Tucker doesn't respond, removing his hand off Dan's shoulder

Clockwork leans back against the couch, head resting on the seat and hood covering their face, "Anxiety's a bitch." They stated. "It's there and it's constant and it never goes away. Doesn't help that I'm not a social person. I can't help but think I'm not wanted anywhere, despite how people and ghosts alike react. Besides, I'm sure no one wants to be around a ghost who can't control when they summon a scythe."

"It was an accident." Tucker said firmly. "My parents didn't mind it either, they know you didn't intend to. It just happened."

"It's an accident the first time. The second time, a coincidence. The third time, a pattern." Clockwork grounded out, voice laced with annoyance. "In case you haven't noticed, it's a fucking pattern Tucker."

"We can break it."

"Stop that. Stop sounding so sure, so positive, so _encouraging._ Why do-why do you sound so sure of everything?" Clockwork wondered. It's been gnawing at them for the longest, curious as to how Tucker could stay so upbeat about almost everything. They respected him so much for being able to crack jokes during tough times but it had also bothered them that he _never_ got angry when they had screwed things up, only receiving calm, upbeat reassurance.

A beat of silence. "Because I care about you and I want the best for you." Tucker responded.

Stunned into silence, Clockwork stared at the time screen in front of them, unable to respond.

* * *

The next time Dan and Clockwork had met Tucker's parents was when the two were doing their weekly grocery shopping with Tucker. Dan wasn't paying attention as to where he was pushing the shopping cart, Clockwork was sleeping in the cart(Tucker will never understand as to how a five foot eleven tall Time Master can fit in a shopping cart), and Tucker was too busy comparing the prices of various brands of pasta creating the perfect opportunity for Dan to accidentally hit Mr. Foley with the cart. Upon impact, Clockwork woke up, Mr. Foley sharply turning around and Dan had frozen up once again.

"Shit," Dan swore softly. "Mr. Foley I am so sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention to where I was pushing the cart-"

Maurice held a hand up and Dan immediately stopped talking, "It's fine son, like you said, it was an accident."

Angela turned around at the commotion, and tilted her head in confusion when her gaze landed on Tucker. "Tucker? What are you doing here?"

"Shopping? You know, shopping with the 'roommates in the clocktower? We do this every week?" Tucker answered, jabbing a thumb to the two. "Holy cow, why must Barilla cost so much? I'm a middle class citizen, I just want some nice pasta without having to pay almost four bucks for it. Is that too much to ask for?"

Maurice and Angela visibly lit up when they recognized the two. "Dan! Clockwork! How have you two been?"

"Fine." "Dead tired."

Putting down the alfredo sauce in her cart, Angela walked over to the duo. "You should get some sleep Clockwork."

Clockwork didn't spare Angela a glance, instead throwing their arm over the shopping cart and glaring down at the floor, "I'll sleep when I'm dead." They muttered.

"Clockwork, you're already dead." Dan deadpanned, glaring at the Time Master. "It's not that funny."

"Forgive me that my sense of humor is deader than yours." Clockwork snarled, running a hand through their bright blue 'fro.

"You know, we have a spare room. We always have room for you two if you need a place to sleep, if need be." Maurice offered.

"We'll keep it in mind." Dan replied sincerely, pulling the shopping cart away from Maurice. "Though I think the three of us should finish our shopping, we shouldn't hold you up any further than we already have."

"Nonsense!" Angela said, "Why don't you shop with us?"

"Sure? That is-if it's okay with you?"

"It's perfectly okay." Maurice answered.

"Dad? Barilla or store brand?" Tucker asked, holding up the two brands of pasta.

"Store brand, Tucker."

* * *

Pandora is full of hope, it's only logical since she is the ghost of hope.

However, she doesn't have a lot of hope for the two idiots in front of her.

Dan is resting on her arm, Clockwork has comfortably buried theirself in the underbelly of her ginormous shield. When she had first asked why they both liked _lounging_ all over her and her possessions like pillows, they had both responded it was like cuddling with a giant, living teddy bear. Pandora doesn't mind it now, she supposes. Looking down at the two, she thinks it's like having two _tiny,_ human sized plushies. Small, adorable, all that jazz.

"I don't get how they're so _accepting._ " Dan complained, throwing his arm out and accidentally hitting Pandora on her chest armor. "Honestly, no one should be that excited to see the ghost who killed their son. Who cares if it was in an alternate timeline?"

Resting a her head on one of her hands, she gestured for him to continue.

"It surreal, talking with them. They look the same from when I was fourteen, and so much has changed. I destroyed almost an entire planet, you think that they wouldn't want to hang around a mass murderer. But they _do_ and they want to do it again _._ They had dinner with us, shopped with us and even offered up their spare room if we needed it."

Pandora hums softly, "Sounds like the Foleys enjoy your company." She said, "They're good people and they love having you around. What's so bad about that?"

"Looks can be deceiving, you know." Clockwork muttered from the shield. "You know this Pandora."

"If this is about Sojourn-"

"Don't you dare bring him up," Clockwork snapped, their voice wavering tumultuously, hands tightly gripping the shield and knuckles turning purple. "Don't you _dare_ bring him up. You have no right to bring him up."

She continued on, unfazed by Clockwork's darkened mood, "As much as you don't want to talk about him, you have to admit Clockwork, that what he did has changed how you view everyone else." Pandora said, reaching out to pull the shield closer to her. "He made you not trust-"

"It wasn't just him, everyone else had played a part in it as well! Always taunting me, always telling me that I was never going to amount to anything, that I was nothing more than just a waste of space! But he came in and told me that I was _valuable,_ I had _potential_ -and then what he had done-" Their voice had abruptly cut off, furiously punching the inside of the shield. "He had gotten inside and twisted me inside out, he messed me up so badly. I don't wan-" Clockwork's resolve crumpled, body wilting inside the shield. "I don't want to be even more fucked up than I already am."

Pandora ignores the guilt rising in her stomach, opting to pull Clockwork's limp body out of her shield and bring them in close to her body. "I won't let that happen." She promised.

"That's what you said last time and look what happened." Clockwork spat out.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, "As much as I'm blithe to admit it, you're right. I did fail you and I'm telling you _now_ that I won't fail you again. Look, you both believe in Tucker right? You both have faith in Tucker?"

Dan and Clockwork both nodded.

"Then trust him to catch you when you fall."

* * *

The Observants have come over.

No one likes it when they come over.

"Are you two even listening?" One had asked, its eye narrowed in anger; Dan just simply wonders why they always come in pairs.

"Am I listening to the two of you talk shit about us again?" Dan asked, kicking his feet up on Clockwork's shoulders. He also wonders how long it'll take for them to shove his feet off them. "No. I have a PhD in self-deprecation, I don't need you tearing me down when I can do that my damn self."

Clockwork shifts uncomfortably, rolling their shoulders but not quite yet pushing Dan's feet off of them. They are fully aware that he's trying to provoke a reaction out of them. They are not going to give him that satisfaction. "I'm simply waiting for you to actually say something that's prevalent to my work. Until then, I don't see a reason to actually listen to you. Besides, I also share a PhD in self-deprecation, so no need to belittle me. I'm really damn good at that. "

Two threw its hands up in the air, offended by the disrespect the two had displayed. "Childish, immature, irresponsible, _disrespectful_ children! I am sick of your blatant lack of respect towards your elders." Two complained. " _Something_ has to be done about it."

"Hear you loud and clear! I can admit we are childish and kinda immature. We tell lots of puns, that's not the making of a mature adult. But I don't know about irresponsible and disrespectful though. That's all _you."_ Dan nodded along mockingly, "What are you going to about it Mike Wazowski? Punish us?" He smirked hearing Clockwork choke in laughter and he beams in pride because that's the first time he heard them laugh today.

"Punish you?" One and Two chorused, and Dan and Clockwork squirmed because they knew that when the Observants spoke in unison, they were in deep shit. "What a wonderful idea. I knew that you two had enough brain cells to think of _something_ every once in a while."

 _Fuck._ Everything went to black soon after.

* * *

 _Dan stands tall in the empty streets of Amity Park, and he sees the pair of Observants arrogantly standing on the sidewalks. He hates their smug smirks and he wants nothing more to wipe those smirks off their faces. Face scrunched up in hatred, he begins to stalk over to them before finding out that he's_ stuck _to the asphalt._

" _What's the point of all this?" He yelled at them_

 _The Observants shrugged their shoulders. "Save them."_

" _Save who?"_

 _One pointed its crooked fingers beyond Dan. "Save them."_

 _Turning around, he sees his family, Sam, Tucker, and Lancer stuck inside the Nasty Burger and his heart lurched in fear. He can't save them. He knows he can't, it's impossible, there's no way he can make it in time to save them. Yet his feet developed a mind of their own and broke out into a run._

 _He can't save them. He can_ _ **not**_ _save them._

 _Dan is thrown back on the ground, shrapnel flying past him and he knows that everyone is dead. The Observants stand over him, empty eyes staring back at him. "Heroes don't give up. Heroes try again. Don't give up Dan."_

 _Dan is not a hero; and everything repeats ad infinitum._

* * *

 _Clockwork recognizes this place. Fire crackling softly, withering brick walls, old, creaky beds that have been recently laid in. Sojourn sat on the bed, hood covering his eyes but the Time Master can see the toothy grin that plagued them for millennia afterwards._

" _Think you can stop him?"_

 _No and everyone knows they can't. Clockwork steps forward, crawling towards Sojourn. They feel bile rising out up their throat when Sojourn leaned forward to cup their cheeks and kissing their forehead. "Hey babe." Sojourn cooed._

 _It's been so long that someone had called them that and despite the fact Clockwork knows how this will end, they sink into the affectionate touch. "Hello love." They responded back, wrapping Sojourns arms around their torso. "You know I love you no matter what happens during this war right?" he asked and Clockwork steeled theirself for the hell that was soon to happen._

 _Their entire face flushed purple and Clockwork covered their face with their at the time oversized sleeves. "Mmhmm. You tell me that every day."_

 _Sojourn rested his head in the crook of their neck, "I should tell you this every hour that passes by." He whispered._

" _Stop!" came a loud whine, "Keep it up and I'll look like a grape."_

" _Bet you look cute as hell looking like a grape." Sojourn said truthfully(? Clockwork isn't sure if anything he says is true anymore). He shifted around, lifting his legs over Clockworks, effectively trapping the shorter out of the two. "Grapes are my favorite anyway."_

" _You're just saying that." "No, I'm not."_

 _Clockwork falls victim to silence and Sojourn leans back, reaching out beyond Clockwork's field of vision. They don't need to guess what he's going to get. He knows what Sojourn is getting. "What are you getting Sojourn?"_

 _He shushed them, pressing a finger to their lips. "You'll see in a moment." Sojourn replied cryptically, his voice distant. "Answer me honestly love, you'll love me no matter what I do or say right?"_

" _Of course, what kind of question is that?" A violent shudder rips through their body when they feel an odd sensation trail down their back. "What are you doing?"_

" _Running my fingers down your back. What else would I do silly?"_

 _Clockwork forced theirself to nod mutely, smile tightly and huff out in laughter, "Since when did you have claws for fingers?"_

" _Since always."_

" _You should file them down," suggested Clockwork, "It's making me a little uncomfortable."_

 _Sojourn hummed noncommitally, moving his fingers from their back to their side, causing the Time Master to gasp in surprise. "Sojourn, stop please."_

" _Not just yet love." smirked Sojourn, "Just a little while-longer! There, I've stopped. Better now?" He asked, poking the knife that had found itself in Clockwork's side._

 _No, he had stabbed them. How can anyone feel better after being stabbed? But their past-self naivety overwhelmed them and they responded, "I'm feeling light headed, dear."_

" _Can't have that, now can we love?" He whispered, bringing their arms behind their back and Clockwork bit back a sob feeling him bound their wrists with ectoplasm. Sojourn's hands ghosted their way down their chest, gently opening their case, "Let's see what makes you tick, shall we?" He slithered from behind Clockwork, pushing them down on the mattress._

" _Sojourn! What are you doing?! GET OUT, THAT'S MY CASE!" they screeched, kicking their legs up successfully kicking Sojourn in the face before he restrained their legs as well._

 _Core racing erratically, they looked up, confused that he hadn't reacted to them kicking them in the face. "I said I was going to see what made you tick." He said, hands moving around in their case and they gasped painfully with every gear that fell out on the bed. "I suppose I should be honest with you as well. I've been working for Pariah for a while."_

" _What? How long?" They wondered how much of their relationship was a lie. They still wondered to this day._

 _Sojourn carelessly poked at one of the larger gears in the case, too deep in thought to hear them whimper in pain. "Since we started dating, he promised that we would be safe from his wrath if and when he won. I care about you too much to lose you to the war."_

" _So you'll just destroy my case instead? Perfect," Clockwork laughed bitterly. Figures, everyone wanted to just hurt them in someway. "One question: when you told me when I was valuable, I had potential...how much of it was the truth?"_

" _All of it was, honest." Honestly, they can't bring theirself to bring believe him anymore. "I need this out of your side so I can do one last thing." Sojourn yanked the knife out of their side, playfully trailing along their stomach before he started carving something on their other side. Clockwork knows what it'll read: worthless and they already know this, but now? Now, they had a permanent reminder. Sojourn stuck his tongue out in concentration as he carved into their skin. They aren't sure how much time passed before Sojourn wrapped his arms around them and pulled them close to him. "Sorry about this love. Had to prove my loyalty to the king."_

 _Clockwork blankly stares at the Observants and they know that their employers had witnessed one of their many downfalls. "You could have stopped him. Let's try this again shall we?"_

 _Everyone knows that they can't stop Sojourn._

* * *

Tucker bends down in front of Dan, his fingers running across the litany of fresh, _bleeding_ cuts littering Dan's face. "Dan?" His hands grip tightly on Dan's shoulders, "Buddy? Come on, snap out of it!"

Dan doesn't say anything _to_ Tucker but his incoherent mumbling had told him something was horribly wrong. The Phantom raises his hands to shield himself from something and Tucker figures that they're stuck in some weird nightmarish sort of hell. "Dan, it's a nightmare! None of it's real!"

"You can't snap them out of it, Tuck." Clockwork slurred, "Observants put us in a memory. He's going to come out when they want him to."

"But that doesn't explain the cuts all over him."

"Yes it does. Anything that happens to you in the memory causes you to experience the same thing in real time." Clockwork explained, flinching when Tucker attempted to touch them. "Don't **touch** me."

Tucker's protests were cut off when Dan wrapped his arms around his sides were suddenly squeezed and his head collided with Dan's torso. A low muttering of 'You're safe' repeated in Tucker's ears and the techno geek knows what Dan had just gone through. He protectively wrapped his arms around Dan before asserting softly, "You're both staying at my parents' house. No question."

Clockwork simply nodded their shoulders, letting loose a painful scream when they had shifted into their child form, pushing Tucker away when he tried to reach out towards them. "Don't touch me!"

"You're injured! Let me see what's wrong so that I can help you!"

"I can help myself!" Clockwork screamed back, frantically swatting Tucker's hands away from them. "I don't need-shit, shit, _shit._ "

Removing the Time Master's cloak, Tucker silently tied it around their sides and picked them up. "Come on Dan. Let's go home." Tucker ordered, eyes lowered as Dan robotically stood up and opened a portal. The three went through the portal and were met by the worried faces of Tucker's parents. Tucker had shooed them away with the assurance of 'later'. Dan curled up at the end of the couch while Clockwork fell asleep on Tucker's chest, a light snore escaping the two. Tucker hands laid in Clockwork's hair, gently massaging the smaller's hair; teal eyes narrowed and face darkened in hatred, he stared up at the ceiling thinking up ways to get back at the Observants.

No one hurt his siblings and got away with it.

* * *

The next morning, Clockwork woke up to the gentle face of Maurice attempting to hand them a cup of hot tea. Out of paranoia, Clockwork not-so-gently pushed Maurice's hand away from them, refusing to acknowledge the guilt that swelled in their chest when Maurice recoiled back in hurt.

Shifting into their adult form, they turned on their intangibility to pull off Dan's cape off his body and wrapped it around theirself. Clockwork looked around the room, not seeing hide nor hair of Tucker anywhere. "Where's Tucker?" They rasped out.

"He's at school," Maurice answered, "But he said for you two not to leave the house until he came home from school."

So, by that logic, they were a prisoner, "Fantastic! Take me from one prison and stick me in another one." They hissed bitterly.

"Clockwork, you aren't a prisoner. You have free reign of the house."

"I'm not stupid, I'll have you know. A prisoner has free reign of their cell. This," Clockwork jutted a finger up and made a circular motion. "Is a prison."

Maurice sighed, sitting the cup on the table, wiping his hands on his knees. "You aren't a prisoner, Clockwork. Tucker said it wasn't wise for you to be moving around with your injuries. If it was up to him, you wouldn't be leaving that spot. I told him it wasn't such a good idea for you to be cooped up like a chicken."

"Ah, the wardens disagree with each other-"

"Clockwork, for the love of god, shut your fucking face and _listen_." Dan interrupted in a snarl. "You aren't a prisoner of any sort. Do you honestly think I would let that type of shit happen to you you idiot?"

Clockwork stared at the floor in shame. "No."

"Alright then, stop being so goddamn melodramatic." snapped Dan, "Mr. Foley, do you have any Advil or anything for us?"

"I have Advil but-" Maurice held a finger, signaling Dan to wait as he searched in his pants pockets, eventually pulling out a bottle of ibuprofen. "I'm sure you two need something a little stronger than Advil. Just to let you know you can't take these on an empty stomach."

"Which means?"

"Clockwork, we have to eat food you numbskull." Dan answered flatly, glaring at his friend who began squirming around from his scrutinizing glare. "You know, that thing you need to do a little more of Toshinori."

"Shut up All Might."

"I am stating the truth, it's not-"

Maurice stood up, walked behind the two ghosts and gently picked up Clockwork, resting them on his hip and suppressing a reaction when they stilled in his arms. " _Children."_ Maurice tsked, "No need for arguing. It's too early for that sort of thing." He walked into the kitchen, opened up various cabinets and began to pull out two skillets and several mixing bowls. "As Dan eqolutenly put it, you two need to eat something so you can take that ibuprofen. How does pancakes, eggs and bacon sound?"

"It's fine Mr. Foley." Dan answered.

Clockwork rested their head on Maurice's chest, their erratic nerves calmed by his soothing heartbeat. "That sounds fine sir. I don't eat eggs though." They replied in a small voice.

"Great! But please I request that you call me Maurice," A small smile graced his features when the two slowly nodded. "Now that's cleared, Dan get the bacon and run some hot water. After that, get out the flour, eggs, milk, salt and white sugar. We're doing this the _old_ -fashioned way." He looked down at Clockwork, ruffling their hair. "As for you, we're going get you to try some eggs."

They pouted, "Fine."

"If you don't like them when you eat them today, then I won't force you to try them ever again. Deal?"

"Deal."

Dan pulled out the ingredients, and dumped them on the counter. "Okay now what?"

Maurice stood Clockwork on the counter, rolled his sleeves up and grabbed the mixing bowl he had set aside. "Now we make pancakes!" He declared enthusiastically, booming out rich, loud laughter when he saw the confused expressions on Dan and Clockwork's faces. "We're doing this the old fashion way! What did you expect?"

"I don't know? I've never had pancakes?"

Dan shrugged, "It's been years since I had pancakes."

"Well that does it," Maurice slammed his hands on the counter, "We're going to make the best pancakes you two ever had. Clockwork, get a measuring cup, scoop out four and a half cups of flour and put it in the bowl."

Clockwork did as they were ordered, and their face had scrunched up in bewilderment when some of the flour had splashed on their face. Maurice gently laughed, encouraging them to keep going while also ordering Dan to put in the baking soda, salt and sugar. The rest of the time had passed with Maurice gently commanding them with making the batter. Afterwards, it had taken no time for Maurice to cook the pancakes, eggs and bacon.

Breakfast was silent, save for Clockwork vehemently declaring, "I don't like eggs Maurice. No more eggs right?" To which Maurice nodded, hiding a smile when they shoved the eggs on Dan's plate who said nothing of the exchange and ate the surplus of eggs. When Dan finished eating, he took both his and Clockwork's plates to the sink. He had offered to take Maurice's but the older man had refused, saying he would take his own.

Once Maurice had taken his plate to the sink, he grabbed two cups of juice, handing a cup to both ghosts as he returned to the table and eyed both of the children. "Alright, food out of the way, here. Take one each." He directed, outstretching his hand to offer the two the small white pills.

Clockwork and Dan each grabbed one to swallow. "Thank you." They said in unison.

"Now, I need to take a look at your injuries," He held a hand up to stop them from from protesting. "I'm not asking either. Both of you suffered under repetitive acts of duress in an attempt to torture you and your injuries need to be checked out so that you can heal properly."

"I wouldn't call it an act of torture." Clockwork mumbled around their cup of juice.

"You're right." Maurice agreed. "It's an act of abuse. It was an act of malice that was designed to tear you two down." He wrenched his eyes shut, willing away the anger that swelled inside. "Anyways, who wants to go first?"

"Dan wants to go first." "Clockwork should go first."

Maurice's thick eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "This is serious, you two. Keep it up and you'll both go at the same time."

They remained quiet and at this point, Maurice was frankly done with their stubbourness. He picked up Clockwork and demanded Dan to follow him upstairs. He remained impassive when Clockwork struggled in his arm and found himself dragging Dan by his muscled arms when he had stopped moving halfway up the stairs. He then sat Clockwork on the bed, wordlessly pointed Dan to sit next to them while he grabbed a chair and the first aid kit.

Maurice first treated Dan, opening many band aids to cover the cuts on his face alone, stitching wounds on his chest and arms and finally wrapping gauze on Dan's burnt hands. The moment Maurice finished, he sent Dan downstairs for the Phantom to do as he pleased. He waited for Dan's footsteps to fade out before turning his attention to Clockwork. "You know what needs to be done son. Don't make this any more difficult than you already have."

He said nothing when Clockwork scooted away from him, shaking their head. "No."

"I would like to prevent as much scarring as possible. I'm only here to help you son, not hurt you."

"It scarred long ago sir," Clockwork choked out, wrapping their hands around their chest. "It wouldn't do any good to try and stop it."

"Doesn't mean we can't stop the bleeding or prevent anything from getting inside, right?"

Clockwork reluctantly nodded. "Suppose so." They opened the impromptu gauze, expecting Maurice to comment on it, ask what had happened but he didn't and they're grateful for it, trying their best not to squirm out of Maurice's grip as he stitched the stab wound close.

The next few minutes passed and Maurice had finished. Picking up Clockwork, the duo headed downstairs and Maurice was surprised to find that Dan was stretched out on the sofa sleeping. He looked down at his other child, running a hand through their thick blue hair when he saw their eyes drooping sleepily. ' _I should comb their hair during while they're sleep.'_ Maurice thought to himself. Laying Clockwork in the crevice of Dan and the couch, Maurice ran back upstairs to grab a blanket and several combs, he came back down with said supplies in hand. Picking up Clockwork once again, he threw the blanket over Dan's body and he sat in a sofa chair next to where Dan laid.

The older Foley leaned back in the chair, situating Clockwork's body so that they were comfortably laying on his chest, Maurice began to comb out Clockwork's hair.


End file.
